Launched in 1966, SEEK is designed to reach qualified high school graduates who might not attend college otherwise. The program starts during the summer, with intensive workshops for matriculating freshmen who did not pass portions of the CUNY Assessment Test. During their first semester, SEEK participants are organized into learning communities—groups who take at least three courses together and develop their own informal support network. Supplemental instruction covers all the first-year classes and some upper-level courses; free tutoring is available. Staff counselors help students apply for financial aid and address personal, social, and career issues.